2005 Toyota Corolla Reviews - Page 5 of 10

2005 Toyota Corolla LE 1.8L from North America

Summary:

What? I've had problems with my TOYOTA? Nonetheless I love it!

Faults:

I've had a few things go wrong with my Corolla... I have a manual transmission and was on a steep hill, so I pulled the emergency break to get the car going again. The e-break didn't hold and I started to roll backwards (of course there was a cliff behind me!) and so I ended up smoking my clutch a bit. I went and got the brakes tightened ASAP!! I've had them tightened again since then, they don't seem to hold like my previous car did.

I also had a leaky tensioner in the engine which glazed a belt (dealership repaired those).

The slightly scary thing is that I had a sagging motor-mount which the dealership found after I complained of a whirring noise over 3,000 RPM. I had to try another manual transmission to realize that wasn't a normal sound.

I also have the practically required, randomly squeaky Toyota brakes, but after tightening, the brakes work great!

I expect perfection from my Toyota, so I've been a bit upset with the problems I've had. If I had another type of vehicle, I might be less surprised with the problems, but a Toyota?!? They have great reputations!

General Comments:

I LOVE the gas mileage on the Corolla! I get around 35 pretty consistently unless I've been speeding a lot or driving in a lot of traffic. I also got fabulous financing from Toyota which was the big plus for buying the Corolla.

I like the "extras" like the automatic headlights, the thermometer, the cruise control, the roominess for that small of a car, the GINORMOUS trunk (I had a hatchback before), and the-open-the-locks-from-10-miles-away key-less remote.

The one lame thing about the key-less remote is that the panic button is on the back near where your thumb goes while holding the key-less remote. I've been inside houses, been shuffling around in my bag, had my keys hit in my pocket, and BAM, I hit the panic button and the cars starts beeping (yes, the key-less remote works inside houses, through walls, and is great that way). I hit the panic button by accident about 1-4 times a week.

I don't care for the sound system, although I suppose expecting a great stock sound system is unrealistic. I've noticed (of all things) that Dodge Rams have a pretty decent stock system. Way better than the corolla.

As mentioned by another reviewer, when driving in the wind, the car gets blown around quite a bit, but on the snow, the Corolla has handled just fine!

2005 Toyota Corolla CE from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Absolutely Nothing.

General Comments:

Overall, it is a very well-built car. The acceleration is okay, the gas mileage is great (43 mpg on one trip!), it is very solidly built.

The only thing that's not so great about this car is the fact that it is geared towards middle-aged economy drivers, not younger drivers (like Honda Civics, for example, are geared towards being cool and economical). The horn is absolutely wimpy--it sounds like you ran over a congested goose. When you accelerate quickly, though, it does have a nice little roar (a sound I like to call, "four cylinders of unleashed beast.). It's definitely a 'bring your own fun' car--it's not inherently fun to drive, just because it has just enough power to get by.

Oh, yeah by the way--Toyota, could you step into the year 2007, please! The Corolla CE, the most basic model, still comes with manual window winders. Come on!

8th Apr 2007, 20:31

"Toyota, could you step into the year 2007, please! The Corolla CE, the most basic model, still comes with manual window winders. Come on!"

Well at least it has air conditioning. The civic DX still doesn't unless you wanna pay an extra thousand dollars for it neither does it come with a stereo. Or if you wanna see things get real ugly check out the base model chevy aveo, no power windows or air conditioning, nor does the base model even have floor mats as an option. But I do agree that car manufacturers need to up the ante for the prices that they charge in this day and age. Just 15 years ago no air conditioner or power equipment meant a 4,500$ sticker price now it means a 14,500$ sticker price.

9th Apr 2007, 09:15

While you're right, you also have to keep in mind cars like the Aveo SVM (base model that I have) come with features that were NOT standard on base models in the past.

I have two outside mirrors, 185 tires (my previous Festiva had 145s standard), rear wiper, intermittent front wipers, fold down rear seats (50/50 split), power brakes and steering, an AM/FM radio (yes, lame, but it is a radio - I soon upgraded), front and side airbags (fronts are required by law, but sides are not), 5 speed (most old base models had a 4 speed), and so on.

Now, would I trade some of those things for air conditioning at the same price? Of course, but things today are not as sparse as in the past.

20th Apr 2007, 10:08

20th Feb 2008, 14:39

Believe it or not, some people actually *prefer* manual windows, because they tend not to break down as easily in the long run. Imagine a broken power window not being able to close, especially on a rainy day. (I've had this happened to me once... lucky that I was able to find a repair shop still open in the evening.) Plus, if the car is immersed in water, the electrical system might not function properly, and manual windows could actually save your life. I've always thought that it was a wise decision on the part of Toyota to keep some things simple and basic.